Cooked lobsters in the shell are bright red; live lobsters are dark greenish-brown.
Maine lobster is one of the sea's most succulent gifts. It is very difficult to make a mistake with a lobster that would ruin its appeal or taste, assuming you have bought one that is as fresh as it was when it came out of the sea. A healthy lobster should be alive and lively, possibly even a little aggressive. The lobster should be dark greenish-brown, wet and glistening. It should smell of the ocean with no hint of a "fishy" smell. Its eyes should be bright, and it should have no missing parts.
Instructions
Clean the Lobster
1. Pull off the white gill fingers on each side of the lobster's body.
2. Remove an antenna that is about the same diameter as the lobster's anus. Make sure the spikes on the antenna are facing downward, then insert the antenna into the anus about 1/2-inch and pull it out a little way.
3. Turn the antenna several times in one direction, which should break the intestine away from the anus. Pull the intestine out.
4. Leave the tamale (green stuff) and, if your lobster is a female, coral (eggs) in the lobster. Both are edible.
Cook the Lobster
5. Fill a 20-quart pot three-quarters full of water and bring the water to a rolling boil. Add 1/2 cup of salt. You can also cook the lobster in salt water from the sea if you have access to it.
6. Drop the live lobsters into the pot headfirst, Bring the water to a boil again. Cook until the lobster's shell is bright red, about 12 minutes for a single 1-pound lobster.
7. Remove the lobster from the pot with tongs. Holding it above the pot for a minute to let the excess liquid drain out. You can also broil, steam, or bake whole lobsters.
Serve the Lobster
8. Melt a stick (or several sticks) of salted butter in a small pan or double boiler, being very careful not to let it scorch. Allow the melted butter to cool for 2 or 3 minutes. Spoon the froth or foam off the top of the butter. You may want to flavor the clarified butter with a little lemon juice or crushed garlic.
9. Crack the shells of the lobster claws and tail with a lobster cracker (a nut cracker will do in a pinch). Both claw meat and tail meat come out of the shell quite readily. Use a lobster pick to remove the meat from the rest of the lobster. Serve the pieces of lobster meat with clarified butter, or cool in the refrigerator and use to make a lobster salad, lobster bisque, or a filling for ravioli.
10. Serve cooked lobsters whole in the shell as an alternative. Give each diner a lobster cracker, lobster pick, lots of napkins, and, if possible a large disposable plastic bib, and serve boiled lobsters whole in the shell. Show diners remove the meat from the lobster as described in step 2. Provide each with a small bowl of clarified butter for dipping.
Tags: clarified butter, butter cool, dark greenish-brown, live lobsters, lobster cracker